Heading for Blue Water: A Fresh Strategy for Success

When John Rivers opened 4 Rivers Smokehouse last October in Winter Park, Florida, the area was swamped with barbecue joints. And yet the day he opened, there were long lines of people ready to enjoy his 18 hour smoked Signature Angus Brisket and creations as the Texas Destroyer (brisket with onion rings, jalapeno’s and melted provolone) and the Messy Pig (Southern Pulled Pork sandwiched between two layers of cole slaw and topped with pickles, jalapenos before being smothered with 4R Signature Sauce.) Less than a year later, Rivers is selling upwards of 15,000 pounds of Angus beef brisket, pork, chicken and prime rib at his restaurant and catered events every week.

To accomplish this, Rivers, the former president of a billion-dollar pharmaceutical distribution company, prescribed something completely different for his marketing strategy. Using the business principles of the book “Blue Ocean Strategy,” Rivers headed out for open water rather than try to compete in a crowded market. By not following the leader, he immediately differentiated his product, thereby making competition irrelevant.

What sounds like a complex strategy is really very simple. Florida is pulled-pork country. Instead of going head to head with the competition, Rivers introduced an amazing brisket barbecue to the marketplace. “I’ve never found anything as good as a brisket smoked the right way,” Rivers says. “There are only a few places that take the time to do it and fortunately, we’re one of them.”

In addition to the chain of Smokehouses, 4Rivers Ventures, the parent company, also houses 4R Foods that sells fully cooked briskets throughout the country, 4R Signature Products, that produces and bottles his 4 Rivers Smokehouse BBQ Sauce and, the newest addition, the 4Rivers Foundation for Children that manages the donations of more than 10 percent of his company proceeds directly to multiple charities, churches and ministry organizations.  

When Rivers finally made the decision to leave his corporate job behind and devote his time to his passion he never looked back. “We [he and his wife Monica] wanted to teach our kids that it’s better to try and possibly fail than to not pursue your dreams.” The result, it would seem of passion and instinct meeting sophisticated marketing has resulted in the fastest growing and the highest grossing restaurant per square foot in Florida. Needless to say, it’s a smoking hot business.

John Rivers will be one of the featured speakers of the ICA Regional Education Days (RED) in Orlando November 4 -5. He will be dispensing his special brand of barbecue and marketing advice! For more on Rivers, go to  www.4Rsmokehouse.com.  To register for RED go to  www.internationalcaterers.org, click on Education then go to Regional Education Days.

To learn more about the ICA and become a member, please visit www.internationalcaterers.org